FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a sealed system for facilitating the transfer of material through a port in a barrier wall separating two different environments without contamination of the cleaner of the two environments by the dirtier. For example, in the case of certain pharmaceutical or chemical procedures, or assembly of medically related devices, in a "clean" or isolation area, it is often desired to pass materials into the clean area without risk of contamination of the clean area by dust or bacteria or viruses in the outside ambient air, which is the dirtier of the two environments. On the other hand, in the case of radioactive hot cells, or isolation chambers in which bacteriological procedures are being carried out, the environment within the isolation chamber is the dirtier, as compared to the cleaner ambient outside air.
In recent years, in the pharmaceutical industry, because of the high expense of maintaining so-called "clean rooms" into which persons may enter to carry out required procedures, more and more operations are being carried out inside smaller isolation chambers, in the nature of glove boxes, which do not require entry of work persons. However, the requirement remains for transferring materials into and out of the isolation chamber without contamination of the cleaner interior environment by the dirtier ambient atmosphere surrounding the isolation chamber.
Although the invention is described with particular reference to its use in the pharmaceutical industry, it will be understood that the system is equally applicable to nuclear, medical devices, and other operations requiring transfer of materials through a barrier wall without intermingling of the environments on opposite sides of a separating barrier wall.